Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule)

The coat of arms is divided into four fields. The left top one shows a red eagle as the symbol of Brandenburg. The three oak-leaves in the top right both symbolize the prevalent oak forests, but also the three previous districts which were merged to form the current one. In the bottom right are two bishopric keys, which stand for the diocese of Brandenburg. The black-and-golden bars in the bottom left are the symbol of Saxony, and symbolize that the area around Belzig, Brück, Wiesenburg and Niemegk belonged to Saxony until 1815.